The Insights Family’s Jonathan Watson shares details on the increase in youth advocacy as two-day virtual conference kicks off.
The Sustainability in Licensing Conference began this morning (24 June) with a presentation from The Insights Family on how the pandemic has moved things on significantly on the business/sustainability front.
Jonathan Watson, the company’s chief product officer, began by giving some highlights from its Industry Survey 2021, which found that 75% of companies are confident they can achieve their business targets in the coming year.
However, eight out of ten businesses feel like they won’t be operating in the same way in two years’ time, and 90% agree that they will be affected by the post-Covid economic downturn.
Jonathan went on to say that sustainability was a global concern for 6-12s, but what do they understand from the term ‘sustainability’?
“It means using things again instead of throwing out”, “keeping the environment healthy” and “something that you can use and don’t hurt the planet” were just some of the responses received.
The pandemic has also changed the way that children learn – parents (34%) and online (26%) are the two largest ways in which children learn most about sustainability, with 70% of parents encouraging their child to think about their actions on the environment.
With content consumption also having changed, children are now seeing more sustainability content on platforms such as Twitch and Discord. “There are more platforms and opportunities and spaces for kids to create and interact with their own communities and find like minded individuals,” commented Jonathan.
Far from being passive observers, children are also thinking about their spending habits more than ever.
Over 45% of 6-18s in the UK reported that they would spend more on something that is environmentally friendly/sustainable, for example.
“Kids are feeling strongly about the environment and the future of the world,” continued Jonathan. “They are unafraid to stand up for their own beliefs and businesses need to accommodate this.”
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